I Can Use the Identify and
2
Interpret (I ) Strategy
H
ave you ever looked at a graph or figure and felt overwhelmed by it? Often there is
a lot of information on graphs and in figures. The Identify and Interpret (I 2) strategy
helps you make sense of graphs, figures, sketches, and other ways to represent data.
This strategy helps you break down the information into smaller parts. To do this, you first
identify what you see in the graph or figure. Then you interpret each of those observations
by deciding what they mean.
Once you have determined what the smaller parts of the graph or figure mean, you are ready
to put all the information together. To do this, you write a caption. You have probably seen
captions under figures in textbooks or magazines. Captions are a summary of the information
in the graph or figure. They are written in complete sentences. Captions help you show your
understanding of the material you are studying.
To help you understand how to use the I 2 strategy, look at the following example. This
example will help you make sense of a graph. This graph shows the average monthly
temperatures in one US city.
I 2 step
Example
Step 1: Identify
(“What I see” comments)
■
Identify any changes, trends,
or differences you see in the
graph or figure.
■
Draw arrows and write
a “What I see” comment
for each arrow.
■
Be concise in your
comments. These should
be just what you
can observe.
■
Do not try to explain the
meaning at this point.
© 2012 BSCS, elearn.bscs.org
Average Monthly Temperatures in One U.S. City
For this example, there are arrows drawn that point to the two trends and the change.
Notice that the arrows point to the general upward and downward trends, not to each data
point. A “What I see” comment describes what each arrow points to on the graph.
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1
BSCS Middle School Science
I Can Use the Identify and
Interpret (I 2) Strategy
I 2 step
Example
Step 2: Interpret
(“What it means”
comments)
■
Interpret the meaning of
each “What I see” comment
by writing a “What it
means” comment.
■
Do not try to interpret the
whole graph or figure.
Average Monthly Temperatures in One U.S. City
In this example, “What it means” comments were added to each “What I see” comment.
The “What it means” comments explain the changes, trends, and differences that were
identified in Step 1.
I 2 step
Example
Step 3: Caption
■
Write a caption for the
graph or figure.
■
Start with a topic sentence
that describes what the
graph or figure shows.
■
Then join each “What I see”
comment with its “What it
means” comment to make
a sentence.
■
Build a coherent paragraph
out of your sentences.
Average Monthly Temperatures in One U.S. City
In this example, the first sentence of the caption describes what the graph shows. Then each
“What I see” comment was combined with its “What it means” comment to form complete
sentences. Those sentences make up a paragraph that describes each part of the graph.
© 2012 BSCS, elearn.bscs.org
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2
BSCS Middle School Science
I Can Use the Identify and Interpret (I2) Strategy
Teacher
Students can become overwhelmed when they try to interpret graphs, figures, or data tables. The
Identify and Interpret (I2) strategy is a way to help students make sense of the information by
breaking it down into smaller parts.
In the I2 strategy, students first identify changes, trends, or differences. They draw an arrow to
each observation and then write a “What I see” (WIS) comment. These comments should simply
be what the student observes, such as a positive slope on a graph or increasing numbers in a data
table. After students have made all their observations and written their WIS comments, they
should interpret the meaning of their observations by writing a “What it means” (WIM) comment
for each. Once students have mastered WIS and WIM comments, ask them to create a caption for
the graph, figure, or table. A caption is a summary of all the information and helps show students’
understanding.
To use the I2 strategy, you should have students place the graph, figure, or table that they are
interpreting into their science notebooks. They should then draw the arrows and write their
comments on and around the image. This helps them make the connections between the graphical
information and their ideas. They should write the caption on the same page to help remind them
of the interpretation.
Help students with page management as you use the strategy. Remind them to leave plenty of
room around the graph, figure, or table so they can write their WIS and WIM comments. Also
make sure they have room below the graph or figure to write their captions.
When you first begin using this strategy, model it for students. They can benefit greatly from
watching you do a “think-aloud” as you complete the strategy on a graph, figure, or table. In the
beginning, only ask students to complete the WIS and WIM comments without writing a caption.
They will likely need help understanding what they should be looking for on the graph. Some
students do not add enough arrows and WIS comments to interpret all the information. Other
students try to add as many arrows and WIS comments as possible. These students soon find that
they cannot interpret the meaning of some of their WIS comments. For example, if they identify
that a graph is printed in black ink, they will discover that they cannot assign meaning to this WIS
comment. This stage helps students begin to filter their numerous observations and only identify
those that are significant to the graph, figure, or table.
Once students have become proficient at writing WIS and WIM comments, ask them to add a
caption. Some students will find it repetitive since they are joining the WIS and WIM comments
to create most of their captions; however, help them realize that the ability to create a coherent
paragraph that interprets all parts of a graph, figure, or table is an important skill in science and
other subjects. Later, when students have had a great deal of practice with this strategy, the
ultimate goal should be for them to write a caption without having to list their WIS and WIM
comments. Eventually, these comments become a habit of mind, and students should be able to
notice all the pieces of a graph or figure to come up with a complete interpretation. Developing
these habits of mind to identify and interpret data in many forms is a skill that will benefit students
in all subjects, in their jobs as they get older, and in becoming a scientifically literate citizen.
© 2013 BSCS, elearn.bscs.org
1
Highlight Comments and Captions Commenting Step
What I see:
What the student should do:
•
•
•
What it means:
Caption:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look for changes, trends, or differences.
Draw an arrow to each of these you notice in your graph or
sketch.
Write what you see. Each arrow has a different description.
Be concise.
Write only the essence, or highlights, of what you see.
Interpret what you see.
Write what each observation means.
Don’t interpret the entire figure at once, just one observation
at a time.
Think of the caption as an executive summary.
Begin your caption with a topic sentence describing the
overview of the figure.
Join each “What I see” to its “What it means” to form a
sentence.
Build a coherent description in 2 to 3 sentences.
Using the strategy with a graph: Caption: This is a
graph of mass versus
volume for three
substances. The line
for each substance
shows a positive
slope that is equal to
its density. The
graphed line for each
substance is different
meaning that they all
have different
densities. Graphite has the largest slope and therefore is the densest.
Using the strategy with a diagram: Caption: This sketch
shows how a clay ball
behaves when it is
“squeezed” in a collision.
The ball shows the same
amount of squish on both
sides, so the amount of
force is equal. The
difference is the forces
are in opposite directions.
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